Residents of Mwea Constituency in Kirinyaga County are sounding the alarm over a surge in donkey theft cases in the area.
Mary Wambui, the chairperson of the local donkey owners' association, revealed that more than 30 donkeys were stolen and slaughtered by unidentified individuals in the past week.
In a particularly disturbing incident last Friday, villagers in Rurii, located in the Wamumu area, woke up to a gruesome scene—eight donkeys, reportedly stolen from a local resident, were found slaughtered within the compound of the New Rurii Apostolic Church.
Donkey owner Miriam Njagi has reported that her animals were stolen by unidentified individuals in the early hours of the morning.
"Our employee woke up around 3 am after hearing dogs barking, but he later went back to sleep. When we all got up at 8 am, all eight donkeys were gone. We suspect the thieves may have used some kind of drug to knock us out," Miriam recounted to the media.
She estimated the loss at Sh136,000 and noted that this is not the first time her homestead has been targeted.
"This is the third time we’ve been hit. Not long ago, 15 of our donkeys were stolen. These animals are our main source of income as we rely on them to transport rice. Now my husband and I have no way to earn a living," she said.
Mary Wambui, chairperson of the Kirinyaga donkey owners' association, strongly condemned the thefts and urged authorities to step in, warning, "There’s a real risk that donkey meat could be finding its way into butcheries without our knowledge."
Wamumu location chief Godfrey Mithamo confirmed that one suspect has been arrested and is currently in custody at the Kiandegwa police post.
He encouraged residents to work closely with law enforcement to help track down and stop the individuals behind the thefts.
